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Thursday, April 12, 2012

Sunrise at Keys View, Joshua Tree National Park

Last Saturday we set the alarm for 5 AM. We've been to Keys View in Joshua Tree National Park before, but never at sunrise, and I was curious to see what it was like. A major bonus... we didn't see a single person at this early hour (we left 29 Palms @5:30 and got to Keys View by about 6:10 AM), and this spot can get very crowded. The entire park was pretty much empty, so going in really early is great. The morning was very cold, and up at the View (about 5,200' elevation) the wind was blowing my tripod all over the place! Ah, what we won't do for a good photo, right?

Couldn't resist stopping just before reaching the View to catch the full moon setting. One of my favorite shots.

Perhaps because of the high elevation and the constant wind, but Keys View has very few Joshua Trees... this is one of the few! I think the shadowy mountain in the background is Mt. San Jacinto.

The first hint of sunrise, with a bit of light hitting the road coming up to Keys View. I watched the jet making the vapor trail overhead as I was setting up my tripod.

What's wrong with this picture? The placard makes the point that the view is often hazy due to air pollution blowing in from LA and other factors. Regardless, it's an incredible view. You can see the Salton Sea, Indio, Palm Springs, and the San Andreas fault among other things.

Took this photo shortly after leaving Keys View at one of the first turn-outs. The light was still great, and I have quite a few more photos from this session that I'll save for future posts. Linking to Skywatch Friday. Check it out for great skies from all over the world. Have a wonderful weekend!

Love this! Gorgeous shots and colors...shooting the moon has always been a challenge for me especially when trying to capture something in the foreground. I need to learn more about night photography. These give me some inspiration.

Wow, alarm clock at 5 AM for a sunrise, I am glad you did. These are absolutely stunning!! I love it that there is so much variety in colors, every photo is different from the other. Have a great weekend!

Early morning light makes these photos really gorgeous. I love the setting moon shots as well as the one of the Salton Sea, Indio, Palm Springs, and the San Andreas fault. I grew up in San Bernardino and Rialto, so I'm all too familiar with the San Andreas fault! We virtually never experience earthquakes where we live now (in El Dorado County, east of Sacramento). Thanks for sharing your fantastic Joshua Tree photos!

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

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